Monday, December 31, 2012

You always want to ring in the New Year in style; but, this year we decided to send 2012 off with a bang.

The bang of a deer bouncing off the driver side front fender to be exact. Mr. Twingle just called to say he hit a deer on his way to work. Most importantly, Mr. Twingle is okay. I was home with the three kids so we are all safe too.

Saturday, December 29, 2012

2012 is quickly coming to an end and I realized it's been far, FAR, too long since I posted my progress on the #50BookPledge.
To be honest, I really stopped keeping track for quite some time. I was still reading, just not with as much fervour as before.

My last update can be found here, and at that time I had read twenty-one (21) books, well on my way to reaching my goal of 50 books in 2012. Sadly, it's about that time that reading took a back-burner to other things in my life. So without any further ado, here is my completed list for 2012.

For a grand total of 28 books. Twenty-eight books is definitely impressive; but, it's not good enough. It's only 56% of my goal. Next year, I'm striving for 100%, though I'd be happy with 80%, and with the new Kobo Mini I got for Christmas, I think 80% is easily attainable.

I wish you all much success on your reading journey and I hope you'll pop in to share your reading progress in the New Year.

Friday, December 21, 2012

Today is my Daddy's 60th birthday! It doesn't seem plausible that my parents are in their 60's; but, it's true.

In all the hype about the Mayan prediction of the end of the world, we joked that my Dad would begin and end his life on the same day. I'm certainly glad this isn't true. We have many more years of birthdays to celebrate.

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

And the angel said unto them, Fear not, for behold, I bring unto you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you this day is born in the City of Bethlehem, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; you shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel, a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God, and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on Earth peace, good will toward men'".

Luke 2:10

Sometimes at this time of year, we get all wrapped up in the hustle and bustle of the season and we forget what Christmas is really about. But, it's not just Christmas. Many religious groups celebrate this time of year. Whether it be Hanukkah, Kwanza or any other religious Holiday, the season is about celebration and love.

Tonight, my Guides and Pathfinders went to McMaster Children's Hospital to do some carolling for the kids who will be spending the holidays there. We spoke with our girls prior to the visit and talked about what they might see while we were there. They all seemed very open to the fact that there could be a wide variety of ailments and treatments happening. We made a craft to give each child that visited us, a little winter toque for their holiday décor, and prepared about 10 popular, secular, carols to sing. The hospital staff were very open and excited to have us in and prepared the lounge for us to perform. We had several patients and families join us for our performance and we even had a couple of the older kids join in the singing.

It was amazing to see the faces warm up to our, totally off-key and sometimes way too fast, singing. Something so simple, brought such joy to these kids. At the end of our time, the staff all thanked us for coming. We even had several of the patients' parents come up to thank the girls too which I think made our girls' night.

But what made it all worth it, was hearing our girls say "thank-you" for bringing them to the hospital to sing for the "sick kids". They all agreed that this was probably one of the best gifts we could give to people we don't know and it made them feel good to help out.

I say to my girls and fellow Guiders, job well done! We set out to teach our girls that the season is about more than gifts and possessions and I think we accomplished that tonight.

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Merry Kwanza and Happy Holidays! May the spirit of the season burn bright in your hearts today and all the year through.

Monday, December 10, 2012

The past month has been completely chaotic and disorganized around the Twingle household. First and foremost, we had two birthday parties to run.

The twins turned 8 on November 16th. We had originally planned to hold separate birthday parties, for the first time, on November 17 and 18. Then Boo brought home forms for Cub camp that weekend and we postponed his party until the following weekend.
Pretty decided she wanted a "spa" party this year with five of her bestest friends. We soaked feet, painted toe and finger nails, had mock "mimosas" and made homemade bath salts. The party was a hit and the girls asked if we could do it again.

The following weekend, Boo had his birthday party. He originally wanted a Pokemon themed party; but, since I don't know anything about Pokemon, I suggested he invite three friends and I would take them all to the movies to see "Rise of the Guardians". Boo loved this idea and so we went ahead with that. Unfortunately, only one of his friends was able to come; but, the boys had fun anyway. We started out at our place to have dinner and open gifts and then it was off to the theatre where the boys played in the arcade until it was time for our movie. The boys absolutely LOVED the movie, and I have to say I did too! Such a great story line. I would definitely recommend it for all ages!

Fast forward to the Bigh Change; I've gone back to work FULL time! After nine years at home raising the Twingles, it was time for me to get back into the workforce. The timing was actually perfect as Pickle goes to school in September and Mr. Twingle will be primarily working from home come January. We will only need to put her in daycare occasionally which will be a good transition for school in the fall.

Mr. Twingle and I had talked about the idea of me going back to work with the thought that we would wait until January when he'd be home to start looking. All that changed when a posting for my dream job came up.
I'm proud to announce that I am now a Unit Administrator for Girl Guides of Canada! If you've followed my blog at all, you'll know that I am a volunteer with this wonderful organization. I have been a member since I was a girl and I love everything Girl Guides of Canada-Guides du Canada stand for. Providing support to the volunteers in our organization was a logical step for me and even though I've only been in the position a week, I love it! I was made for this job, or maybe this job was made for me. Either way, I feel very blessed to have been the successful candidate for the position. There is something new every day that challenges me and gives me room to grow and build on existing skills...everything I would expect from an ideal job and Girl Guides.
It hasn't all been sunshine and roses though. We are going through some growing pains at home trying to figure it all out. With Mr. Twingle travelling, we've had to arrange daycare for Pickle and after school care for the twins, but so far it's all worked out. Pickle seems to be doing well. She's even taken to napping again. Yes, my child, who gave up her naps before the age of two! I don't know if she's exhausted from the mental strain of the adjustment or because her "fends" are napping too. The only negative I've seen so far is a couple of bathroom accidents which she doesn't normally have. I'm not sure if it's regression due to the changes or if she has an infection. If it continues this week, we'll be making a trip to the doctor to rule out any medical issues.
The twins think every day is a play date with their buddies from Guiding and Scouting, so they've been fine with it. In fact, the days they don't need after school care, they whine about not seeing their friends (insert eye rolling emoticon).

So yeah...it's been a little crazy around the Twingle household and with the holidays only two weeks away, I don't see the crazy settling down any time soon.
I'm just glad I found a job I enjoy and that the kids seem to be transitioning alright, for the most part. The week before I started, the mommy guilt was revving full-force. But now that I've seen the kids are okay with the change, I know I've made the right choice.